So, lately I’ve been getting the feeling that more and more people who get periods are starting to agree that disposable products kind of suck. They create a ton of waste, they range from not great to horrendous for your body and, let’s face it, the cost feels like being charged a monthly tax for the privilege of bleeding. It’s no wonder folks are getting fed up and looking for other options. I’m so excited this conversation is happening! I am however noticing that when it comes to discussing options, menstrual cups are the new black. I have seen a bunch of articles, tons of impassioned speeches and recently a lecture (by someone who I swear I’ve seen indicate that she knows better) about how they can absolutely work for everyone (except two very specific cases) and people just need to try every kind until they find the right one…
Okay folks, I get it, you love your cups and that’s awesome but, as with anything, they may not be for everyone. I happen to have an IUD and am not comfortable with the whole suction/IUD relationship (I know many of you swear it’s fine but I’m not there.) so a couple years back I invested in some sea sponge tampons and a couple of cloth pads.
For a while there the sponges were my jam and the pads were… okay. They slipped around a bit and kind of chafed. Basically I kept them around for back up. Then after I was in a situation that resulted in multiple repeated infections, I found that I really only wanted to wear pads (I was anti internal stuff entirely for a bit there) and in a moment of weakness went back to disposables. Finally talking to a friend I bemoaned the state of reusable pads and she disagreed and sang their praises. Finally we compared. Well, it seems I just had not-great pads (maybe a craft fair wasn’t the place to buy menstrual products?). She pointed me towards two brands she liked- GladRags and Lunapads. I asked her which she preferred and she went on a long spiel about how they were both fabulous in different ways and so she couldn’t pick one and liked to have both around.
I’ll be damned if she wasn’t spot on. I tried both GladRags and LunaPads and love them both, for slightly different reasons and kind of want to have both kinds around always. Let’s talk about why.
Before we get to either company let’s take the quick but obvious stop at “Reusable pads? But what about cleaning them?” So, you have options here: you can soak and then machine wash your pads or you can hand wash them.
Now, onto the awesome products.
First up GladRags:
GladsRags is a super-sweet little company based right here in Portland (what’s up PDX!). On their site you’ll find an array of reusable cloth pad options as well as menstrual cups (they make the Moon Cup), supplies for laundering your pads, a ton of educational materials and some really great kits that combine several products.
So, I tried the day pad which is 9 inches long and 2.5 inches wide. It it comes with two inserts that can be used together to create a “maxi” pad, individually for a “mini” pad or not at all for a pantyliner depending on how much protection you need. When the pad arrived I was smart enough to snap some pictures (I don’t always remember to do this):
After years of thinking reusable pads we kind of uncomfortable and “meh” at best I was really excited by how soft the GladRags pad was. Seriously, GladRags pads just feel really fabulous. Beyond that they are also surprisingly absorbent – the pad looks so small and is such a light color- I was expecting a mess but it held up great! The second insert ended up being a moot point as the first one and the pad itself held it down. So, soft, comfy, unobtrusive and effective- I love the GladRags pads.
In addition to loving their products, I really dig GladRags as a company. They were super sweet to work with, the have an amazing sustainability pledge on their site that covers their business practices both for their customers and in their office and have received multiple awards for their work as sustainable and cruelty-free company. GladRags is pretty rad.
So next I tried Lunapads
Lunapads is a super-sweet little company based in Vancouver, BC. On their site you’ll find an array of reusable pad options as well as menstrual cups (they make the Diva Cup), supplies for laundering your pads, a ton of educational materials and some really great kits that combine several products. (are you noticing a pattern here?) Also, on the Lunapads site you’ll find clothing, body care products and some neat stuff for around the house (they sell Cuppows – some of my favorite things ever)
I tried the maxi pad and I’ll be frank, I immediately messed it up. The way it works with Lunapads is you have the pad with is 10 inches by 2.5 inches and then you have the inserts which in this case are worn directly against the body making it so you can simply change out the inserts over the course of the day. Which is pretty neat. I (because I frequently opt to not read instructions) definitely put it on upside down. The kind folks at Lunapads assured me this happens and they have actually made a video to explain it. Anyway, remember how I said I don’t always remember to get pictures? Yeah, I may have used the pad before I did that so, here’s a stock photo of the pad I received.
So, I also found the Lunapads pad comfortable to wear. While the base of the pad is much stiffer than the GladRags pad, the insert – which is what touches the body- is lovely and soft and I love having the ability to change out the insert rather than the whole kit and caboodle. Because the Lunapad is a little longer I have been wearing it more at night (because, sleeping and stuff) but I have no hesitation about wearing it during the day. As for absorbency, I have found that the inserts do an impressive job of absorbing before anything reaches the base layer. I had my doubts about that before I tried it but it works great. So, again, soft, comfy, unobtrusive and absorbent – yeah I love these too.
As for Lunapads as a company?
They have a program called One4Her where they donate an AfriPad to a girl in Uganda for every eligible product sold on their website. They mentor women entrepreneurs and they too have been recognized several times for their efforts as a sustainable company. Lunapads is also pretty rad.
So, there you have it folks. I tried two different products and, in the end loved them both.
Thank you to GladRags and Lunapads for sending me samples to try!
To get your own head over to their sites:
FREE shipping on orders over $100
These products were provided to me free of change in exchange for my honest review. My review policy is simple: I will never lie about liking a product if I don’t (in fact I probably won’t even write about it) but when I do like something it’s hard to get me to shut up about it.
